Correspondent photo / Nancilynn Gatta
Patricia Dennison, proprietor of Palmer Place Tea & Botanicals, discusses green tea, health benefits and its history during her talk, “It’s Good to be Green,” at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library on Thursday.

During a slideshow presentation, Patricia Dennison, proprietor of Palmer Place Tea & Botanicals in Willowick, took her audience on a journey from her days as a child through the research on green tea’s health benefits, its history and a tour of the three main countries that produce the beverage — China, Japan and Taiwan.

“I grew up drinking tea with my Scottish grandmother,” Dennison said, and listening to her stories while they sipped tea together developed Dennison’s love for the leafy beverage.

As a volunteer at her church tea party fundraisers, she studied the drink. At that time, she realized a potential career could focus on tea and has done so as a tea “sommelier,” blender and proprietor.

“When looking at the health benefits, consider reputable sources such as Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic,” she said.

During her talk she pointed out the following positive aspects to the drink:

• Regular consumption contributes to healthy gums and teeth.

• Green tea contains anti-inflammatory compounds.

• The beverage includes the amino acid L-Theanine, which is shown to improve mental clarity and reduce stress.

• Green tea is a source of antioxidants and polyphenol, which studies have documented as inhibitors of different types of cancer.

Dennison informed the group that research is currently being conducted on green tea and its effects on the following diseases and medical conditions — prostate cancer; eye disease; asthma; diabetes; cholesterol; obesity; arthritis; renal carcinoma; Parkinson’s disease; osteoporosis; breast and cervical cancer; as well as vascular and cognitive function.

She also mentioned that commercially sold tea bags often contain staples that are made of microplastics. Research is in the early stages of how these plastics can get into our bodies and affect our health. She recommended, whenever possible, to drink loose leaf tea.

Green tea has two to four times less caffeine than a cup of coffee. The amount of caffeine is determined by the type of tea, time of year it was processed and the age of the buds. Picking tea in the summer or fall garners more caffeine, as do younger buds.

Much of the program dealt with its history.

“780 A.D. was the first time a book on tea was published in China with recommendations for production, cultivation and a ceremonial way to drink the beverage,” she said. “In China, the first tea cultivators were Buddhist monks and then young girls. Coffee arrived in Europe prior to tea and became a beverage of the gentry class.”

Dennison pointed out that, besides China, Japan grows green tea in areas that are hilly and near water, while the center of Taiwan has 52,468 acres of family-run tea plantations.

During the talk, teas from the three different countries — dragonwell from China, sencha from Japan and gunpowder from Taiwan — were sampled and discussed.

Numerous scientific studies have lauded the beneficial aspects of drinking green tea. So, when you want a soothing drink, enjoy a cup and know that you are doing something healthy for your body.